


The Five Days of Christmas

by larryswildhearts



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: 1D Christmas Fest, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Christmas fic, DID I SAY CHRISTMAS 🥺, Dorms, Fluff, Homesickness, Hurt/Comfort, Literally tooth rotting fluff, M/M, Strangers to Lovers, ziall
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:28:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28029294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/larryswildhearts/pseuds/larryswildhearts
Summary: Niall would be lying if he were to say he wasn’t dreading Christmas. But maybe with some Christmas magic (and some help from Zayn), being stuck there wasn’t going to be so bad after all.Or the one where Niall can’t go back home to celebrate Christmas, so Zayn decides to bring Christmas to him (and maybe fall in love in the process).based on this prompt from the 1d Christmas fest:college au where they're all the only ones staying in the dorms over christmas but they dont know each other very well and they throw tiny dorm parties and eat junk food and bond [might have chosen a lot of directive liberties]
Relationships: Niall Horan/Zayn Malik
Comments: 8
Kudos: 28
Collections: 1D Christmas Fest 2020





	1. December 6th [Prologue]

**Author's Note:**

> hi!! so this is officially the longest fic i have ever written. i have been so excited to join a fic fest and i am so happy that i was able to join this one. as always, ziall is my sweetspot so i decided to provide more tooth-rotting ziall fluff to keep the tag alive!! i really hope i was able to bring the christmas spirit to you with this and i hope you enjoy <3\. 
> 
> also, thank you so much to Nadia for being an angel and reading through the fic to point out any mistakes <3\. i don't deserve you!!!
> 
> ps. this was technically supposed to be a one-shot but for the purposes of the days etc. it was more pleasing to divide them that way x

_ December 6th. 19 days till Christmas.  _

“I’m sorry petal but I think it’s best to not fly you back here for the holidays,” Niall heard his mother say. He frowned small, adjusting the brightness of his laptop screen. He couldn’t help but already feel his heart sinking a little. He did not expect his weekly call with Maura to go this way.

“What do you mean?” Niall asked, sighing softly as he pulled the chair closer to the table. Despite the grainy and delayed live feed on his screen, he could tell that Maura didn’t look quite happy either.

“I’m really sorry petal,” She said again. “The prices are just- they’re much higher than expected and it's really expensive to fly you back darling.” She said softly, making Niall bring up the volume of his laptop. He pinched his bottom lip as he looked over the screen, not knowing what to say.

They had talked about it before Niall had flown to the U.S for his bachelor’s degree. He was lucky to have received an almost full scholarship- but even with that their money was still really tight. Flying back and forth especially for him to stay in Ireland for less than a month wasn’t really a luxury for the Horans, especially since getting him there alone required them to scrap and scavenge through their savings.

“It’s okay ma,” Niall said after a short moment of silence. He knew Maura wasn’t intentionally holding him back from coming home- especially since she was the one who missed him the most. Niall hadn’t even gotten too homesick the past three months since moving, but he knew the holidays were going to hit him a bit differently.

“Are any of your friends staying there too darling? Maybe you can find someone, and who knows- they’ll let you spend Christmas at theirs with their family hm?” Maura said with a soft smile and Niall couldn’t help but cringe a little. Sure- he had made a handful of friends, and had gotten close to quite a few but he had only known them for three months. He didn’t want to overstep like that.

“Don’t worry ma- I’ll figure it out okay?” Niall said reassuringly as he gave Maura a sincere smile. 

“Okay petal, okay. Keep me updated alright?” Maura asked, and Niall couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

“Of course ma, don’t be silly. I always keep ya updated don’t I?” After a bit more back and forth they were telling each other their goodbyes, Maura having to cook dinner.

“Love you more ma, tell Patrick I say hi hm?” Niall said softly. Soon he was hanging up and closing his laptop screen. He couldn’t help but lean back onto his chair, letting out a groan.

“How did the call go?” Harry, his roommate asked as he took off his earphones. Niall looked over him, sighing as he got out of the chair. He flopped on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

“M not flying back this Christmas. ‘S too expensive.” Niall sighed out, looking over Harry who was laying on his own bed across the room. He saw the genuine frown settle on the curly lad’s face, making him smile small. He was happy to have gotten Harry as a roommate (not only because they were both from the other side of the world), but he always wore his heart on his sleeve and the pair had properly grown on each other.

“That sucks mate, does that mean you’re going to have to stay here?” Harry asked, sitting up as he furrowed his brows. The lad looked deep in thought, as if he was trying to solve Niall’s problems for him already and the Irish lad couldn’t help but appreciate it.

“Yeah, sadly,” Niall mumbled, giving Harry a small shrug. He knew it was going to hit him later on but it wasn’t something he had to deal with just yet. He’d cross that bridge when he got there.

“Fuck mate that sucks- I’d take you home with me if I could.”


	2. December 20th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Too little pasta and too much booze.

_5 days till Christmas._

It took two weeks and watching Harry pack up his bags for it to settle in. He couldn’t believe he was staying in New York for Christmas, what the fuck was he supposed to do by himself?

He reluctantly pushed himself off from the bed, walking over to Harry’s. “It’s here you knobhead,” Niall said playfully, taking the sock that Harry had been ranting about for the past five minutes from the foot of his bed.

“Thanks mate,” Harry said with a face splitting grin. Niall decided to settle on Harry’s bed instead of going back to his own, knowing Harry wouldn’t mind. He rested his back against the wall, looking at Harry continue to pack.

“You excited to go back?” Niall asked. He knew he was going to miss Harry over the holidays, but he was happy to know that at least he would be able to go home to his family.

“Yeah, nothing beats mum’s Christmas cooking hm?” Harry said with a grin. Niall could see the little bit of guilt flash in his eyes, but he chose not to mention it.

“No- you’re absolutely right.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “Think my parents’ cooking is what I’ll miss the most, I’ll just make them cook double for me next year.” Niall grinned. He tossed over one of Harry’s shirts that was set next to him since he knew Harry wanted to take that one with him. “How are you going to the airport?” Niall asked.

“Louis is taking me and another dude- Liam think his name was- to the airport. We’ve all got the same flight back to London.” Harry said, folding the shirt and slipping it in. “Think we leave in two hours.”

“Louis hm, offering you a ride?” Niall teased. He laughed when one of Harry’s shoes got thrown at him. Luckily he caught it right before it smacked him in the face. “Seriously though, that’s sweet of him. I’ll help take your bags out to the parking lot then, yeah?” Niall said, passing the shoe back.

Once Harry was done packing, the pair spent the remaining time talking and messing around. Soon enough though Niall was helping Harry with one of his bags, pulling it out of the room.

“Jeez Harry- what did you put in here? Rocks?” He asked, rolling his eyes when Harry said that he had to bring a lot of things for his family. Once they got to the parking lot, Niall looked around for Louis. He spotted him quite easily, the lad leaning onto his car with two other people next to him. Niall walked over with Harry, smiling at Louis.

“Hey mate,” Niall said, leaning close to give Louis a hug. Louis pulled him close, engulfing him so tightly that Niall almost lost his breath.

“Hey Niall,” He grinned, ruffling Niall’s hair roughly. Niall rolled his eyes as he pulled away, fixing his hair a bit as he watched Harry say hi to who he figured was Liam. He was about to help Harry put his bag in when Louis took it from him, shooing him to the side.

“Christ Lou,” Niall grumbled as he turned. He walked without looking forward, only regretting it when he suddenly slipped on the ground that had frozen over. He let out a yelp, ready to feel the cold hard ground on his back. However, before he had the chance to fall he felt a pair of hands at his shoulders, steadying him.

“Fuck- thank you so I-” His words died down his throat, because the guy who had caught him was definitely not the lad Harry was saying hi to before.

“Careful mate, don’t need you getting injured right before going home hm?” The raven haired lad chuckled, and Niall couldn’t help but feel the heat collecting on his cheeks.

“I’m not going home actually- and I fall a lot- nothing new there.” Niall said dumbly, only wincing when he heard the snort coming from Harry. The smile of his savior only grew wider though, and Niall couldn’t have been even more confused.

“Well- we don’t need another fall then.” The lad laughed, slowly letting go of Niall’s shoulders. “Sick though, guess I’m not staying here by myself after all.” The stranger grinned.

Once they had loaded everything in the car they all talked for a bit. Niall was a bit more quiet than usual as he tried to calm his nerves from his near death experience (although some would probably say he was being a tad bit dramatic). After they said their goodbyes and shared hugs, Zayn and him (whose name he had learned thanks to Louis) walked back towards the dorms with a comfortable silence between them.

“So,” Zayn said, taking a moment to pause. “You’re staying here all Christmas break hm? Up ‘til New Years?” He asked, glancing over to Niall who nodded.

“Seems so, don’t really have a ticket to fly to Ireland.” He said along with a small shrug. “Are you also staying back then?” Niall asked softly, thanking Zayn when he held the door open for him to step in.

“Yeah, yeah. I stayed back last year too- it isn’t too bad don’t worry.” Zayn said, shutting the door behind him before they both walked down the hallway.

“So you’re in your second year? A sophomore- or however you call it, ” Niall said, looking over at Zayn. He knew he had definitely crossed paths with Zayn, but he probably just didn’t remember.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m on the second floor- you’re in the first with Harry? Louis’ boyfriend?” Zayn asked, making Niall’s eyes widen slightly.

“Louis and Harry? No they’re not dating.” He said amused, shaking his head.

“Ah- okay. Was just making sure. I was pretty sure Tommo was just lying to me.” He said with a casual shrug.

Niall hadn’t realized Zayn had walked him to his dorm until he stopped in front of it. He turned a bit to face Zayn, eyeing down the almost empty hallway in the process. Louis, Liam and Harry had been one of the last to leave, a couple of others already exiting the building.

“Looks like it’s just going to be us,” Niall said, cracking a smile. Zayn seemingly agreed, nodding his head.

“How about we hang out tonight hm? Break in the Christmas spirit with a few drinks?” Zayn asked, making Niall laugh softly. “We have the whole place to ourselves anyways- both floors- might as well take advantage of it.” Zayn continued enticingly, only making Niall smile wider.

“Sure, sure. Do you wanna have dinner whilst we’re at it? Not sure how I’ll hold drinks with an empty stomach.” Niall said softly, running his fingers through his hair.

“Just come to mine yeah? I can cook for us, door 25. Come by at like six or seven.” Zayn said before he was turning around.

“You’re not going to ask if I can at that time?” Niall asked, raising his brow. Zayn simply chuckled and waved him off as he continued to walk.

“Oh please, as if you have anything better to do,” 

* * *

When six rolled around Niall decided to go to one of the shops on campus, grateful that it was still open (he reluctantly noted though, that by that time tomorrow the shop would be closed until break ended). It was starting to get really cold already, the air prickling his lungs. He grabbed a few bags of chips and some tea, wanting to at least bring some type of offering to Zayn’s. 

He walked back to their dorm shivering, deciding to stop by his room so he could drop off his jacket and grab his phone. Once he locked his door (which was quite useless since only him and Zayn were there), he headed upstairs. He followed the ascending numbers before he stopped in front of room 25.

He knocked on the door, shifting a bit. His brows furrowed momentarily when he heard a loud thump before there were heavy footsteps approaching the door. “Hey,” Niall said, looking over a frazzled Zayn. His lips pursed to hold back an amused smile. “Were you sleeping this whole time?” Niall asked as he stepped in.

“Mhm…” Zayn said, yawning as he shoved some things under the bed. 

“You room with Louis hm?” Niall asked as he looked over to the other side of the room. It looked like a hurricane had run over it, several items of clothing decorating not only the bed but the floors as well. Messily packed boxes could as well be seen peeking from underneath the bed, along with a football. “It shows.” He chuckled when Zayn confirmed his hunch, shaking his head. 

“Uhm- these are for you by the way, well, us. Didn’t really want to show up empty handed.” He said with a shrug. “Would’ve gotten alcohol but- you know the age requirement here,” Niall said rolling his eyes.

Zayn nodded as he took the bags of chips from Niall. “Yeah, yeah. ‘Tis why you need a fake I.D round here.” He said, opening the bag of chips before settling them on the floor. 

“What do you want for dinner? Does a mean pot of mac and cheese sound good?” Zayn asked. Niall laughed softly and nodded, shifting to help Zayn. He reluctantly sat back down when Zayn had insisted that he didn’t need help, simply sitting back and watching the older lad cook their meal. 

They kept their conversation quite casual, asking about each other's majors and how it was like living far away from home. Niall couldn’t help but snoop around the room with his eyes, studying the different posters on the walls, and taking note of all the superhero-themed things. 

Niall knew Zayn hadn’t made enough mac and cheese when he spotted Zayn pulling out not only a cheap bottle of whiskey but an even cheaper smelling vodka. “This is going to be interesting,” Niall said, his nose scrunching after taking a whiff. 

“Oh come on- yer Irish aren’t ya? Would expect a good tolerance level,” Zayn chuckled as he took out some juice from his fridge. He poured a good amount of juice in their cups before pausing. “If you don’t want to drink, it's okay ya know?” Zayn said softly, looking over Niall. 

Niall looked over at Zayn, snorting and shaking his head. “I am defo not rejecting free drinks. You crazy?” He said, shaking his head. He watched Zayn pour the vodka, adding it to the juice. “Thanks,” He said when Zayn handed him the cup before settling next to him. 

The pair drank whilst eating their mac and cheese, sharing small talk in between as they got to know each other better. 

“Yeah, I’ve heard of you for sure,” Niall said softly, picking around his bowl as he stabbed some of the pasta. “Louis talked about you often but we never really crossed paths,” Niall said softly with a shrug. It’s not like he spent much time with Louis anyway, only being around him when Harry was.

“Same mate, pretty sure Harry mentioned you. Remember him saying his roommate was Irish.” Zayn said, making Niall roll his eyes in amusement. 

“So, how come you’re not going home for Christmas?” Niall asked curiously, setting his bowl down once he had finished eating. He watched Zayn stack his on top, pushing it to the side before picking up his cup. 

“My family’s Muslim- so Christmas isn’t a big thing for us,” Zayn said with a shrug. “Like we celebrate it but it isn’t too big for us, ya know?” He said softly. “Prefer staying back and saving some money in the process,” Zayn explained. “Not too homesick to be honest, so it’s okay.” 

Niall nodded, gently tracing his finger over the rim of his cup. “Why aren’t you heading back?” Zayn asked, nudging his side. 

“Me? To save money,” Niall explained, deciding to take a sip from his drink as well. “I mean- Christmas is a big thing for my family,” He felt quite embarrassed to admit to Zayn that he was homesick, especially since Zayn looked more than okay with staying back for the holidays. “But it’s whatever, no biggie.” Niall smiled. 

The pair went back and forth with several questions, one drink soon turning to three and then turning to five. Before Niall had even realized it, he was passionately advocating Zayn to expand his knowledge on classic Christmas movies. “No way you haven’t watched ‘Home Alone’” Niall gasped out, almost spilling his drink as he reached over to grab Zayn’s laptop. The older lad laughed as he held Niall’s waist, stopping him from toppling over. 

“No, no. Is it really that good?” Zayn asked, slowly moving his hand away from Niall’s waist as the lad settled back down to place the laptop in front of them. He pouted when Zayn stopped him from opening his laptop, looking at him with furrowed brows. 

“What gives? You don’t wanna watch?” Niall asked, slowly settling back down next to Zayn. He watched the older lad shrug as he took another sip of his drink. 

“I’m enjoying just talking actually, how about we watch the movie tomorrow?” Zayn offered. Niall thought for a moment before reluctantly agreeing. 

“As long as we for sure watch the movie,” Niall said, smiling when Zayn clinked their cups together as a sign of a promise. 


	3. December 21st

_4 days ‘till Christmas._

“Ugh,” Niall grumbled, shifting a bit in the bed as he tried his best to will himself back to sleep. Sadly though, the throbbing pain in his head had other plans. It took him a moment to take in everything, his headache dulling down only slightly as he began to wake up. He furrowed his brows when he heard soft snoring, causing him to slowly and painfully sit up on the bed to look around the room. 

_When did I get back?_ He thought, holding the side of his head. The only thing he remembered was opening up the second bottle with Zayn (which now seemed like a mistake, mixing alcohol was never a good idea). His gaze drifted towards the other side of the room and he couldn’t help but snort at the sight of what he could only assume was Zayn, balled up under Harry’s covers. 

He shifted to grab his phone, letting out a soft sigh as he checked out the time. The screen on his phone was dim, showing the little battery he had left on his phone. 8am. The only thing he hated more than waking up with a hangover was waking up with a hangover at an ungodly hour. He slowly dragged himself to the bathroom, snagging a small bottle of pills before popping two into his mouth, shooting it down with water. 

Once he left the bathroom, he decided to head to Harry’s side of the bedroom. Quietly, he set the bottle of pills down on the nightstand along with a cup of water in case Zayn would wake up whilst he tried to go back to sleep. He then dragged himself back to bed, curling up under the sheets with a tired sigh. He stared at the pattern of his sheets, thinking about the night before. 

He remembered the pair rambling about nothing but everything at the same time. Part of him was annoyed that Harry had hidden Zayn away from him because, well, he was pretty cool. The two of them got along awfully well and it would've been nice to know somebody else was staying back with him. It was somewhat making it more bearable.

His thoughts slowly fazed out as his eyelids grew heavier, but before he managed to close them, his phone began to ring. He bit back a curse as he shoved the covers off of himself, quickly leaving the room with his phone to pick it up before it could wake Zayn up. 

Despite the early phone call, he was happy to be able to hear from Maura. “S’alright Ma,” He murmured, rubbing at his head still as he listened to the woman apologize for interrupting the lad’s sleep. Niall reassured her it was okay, updating her about everything and even mentioning Zayn. 

“Yeah mum, it's quite nice actually. We get along quite well,” He said a bit shyly, not wanting his mother to read too much into it like she did with Harry. “Of course I’ll share the package you sent me with him.” Niall smiled, rolling his eyes fondly as she continued to ask more and more questions about the lad. 

It wasn’t until the call with his mum was over that he realised he had locked himself out. With a heavy groan he knocked on the door loudly, “Zayn? Open up,” Niall grumbled. He felt only a bit bad when he called Zayn, hearing the lad stumble before picking up the phone. 

“Hey, sorry. I am outside the door. Locked myself out. ” Niall reluctantly confessed, letting out a soft sigh of relief when he heard footsteps coming towards the door. His cheeks tinted a bit red though when he was faced with an unexpected sight. 

“How did you lock yourself out?” His voice was rough, and matched with the ruffled hair and bare chest Niall struggled to look away.. 

“My mum called and I- uh- didn’t want to wake you up.” Niall murmured, thanking Zayn as he stepped back into his room. “How are you feeling?” 

“I’ve felt better for sure.” Zayn said as he rubbed his eyes. Niall’s eyes looked over Zayn’s back as the tanner lad headed back to Harry’s bed, this time going for the pills and the water. “I can’t imagine you’re doing any better?”

"Honestly? My head’s killing me,” Niall sighed out, rubbing his temples in hopes that it would ease the pain away. 

“You were definitely fun last night” Zayn chuckled, making Niall’s brows furrow a bit.

“Hm? What do you mean?” Niall asked. “Oh god,” He murmured when Zayn snickered. “Think I might have blanked out half of it,” Niall said. “I hope I didn’t say or do anything stupid.” He said, suddenly embarrassed. 

“Hm? You were fine,” Zayn said. Niall looked over him, not entirely believing that it was the truth. Once Zayn downed his pills and water Niall watched him slip his shirt back on. He figured Zayn was going to head back to his room, remembering the text he had gotten from Harry informing him that Zayn was a bit of a hermit. 

“So? What do you want for breakfast?” Zayn asked, surprising Niall quite a bit. 

“I? I mean I can make some eggs, and bacon and toast.” he said quite quickly, heading to the mini fridge to rummage through whatever was there. He pouted when he heard Zayn reveal that he didn’t eat pork. He peeked over the fridge’s door, about to apologize when Zayn waved his hand. 

“S’Alright. We could settle with some eggs- think we can make an omelette, no?” He suggested, making Niall smile. 

The pair ended up spending the rest of the day together, only parting for an hour at most so the both of them could wash off the stench of alcohol that had clung onto them from the night before. 

“So? What happened last night?” Niall asked as they started what probably was their seventh round of FIFA. After a unanimous vote (and a text to Harry), Zayn had moved his monitor and console to Niall’s dorm. _‘Oh, I am definitely going to milk staying here as much as I can. Have you seen the state Louis left our room in?’_ Zayn had said when Niall said he was more than okay with Zayn staying over again. 

Niall watched Zayn roll his eyes as a response, making him huff. He had bugged Zayn all day, asking about the latter part of the night that he barely remembered. “Please,” Niall tried, groaning when Zayn scored another goal (but to be fair, he wasn’t trying much either).

“What’s the last thing you remember?” Zayn asked, pausing the game to look at him. 

“Uh- a little after our first glass of whiskey and coke,” Niall said, suddenly a bit nervous under Zayn’s gaze. “And then it’s little bits and pieces I guess. I remember talking a lot- just not about what,” Niall followed up. 

“I promised you we were going to celebrate Christmas together,” Zayn simply answered, “Like- proper Christmas spirit style.” He smiled. 

“Oh?” Niall said, a bit more confused. “What did you have in mind?” Niall asked. 

“Hey- let me surprise you,” Zayn said, sending the lad a wink, not spilling anything else despite how much Niall insisted. 

The surprise for that evening was a pizza party and Christmas movies. As agreed, the pair started the movie marathon with Home Alone one, splitting a large pizza. 

Although they started the movie sitting relatively far apart, the two ended up huddled together, sharing the blanket as they each focused on the screen. Niall would smile and nod along quietly to the small comments Zayn made throughout the movie, mind drifting more to the warm press of his body. 

“No way- that’s so unrealistic. Nobody would leave their child behind for Christmas. And no kid is that smart- or psychotic at that young of an age.” Niall heard Zayn say once the credits rolled in. Niall looked at Zayn, rolling his eyes. Despite all of Zayn’s complaints, he was reaching for the laptop, already loading the sequel up. 

“Clearly, it’s awful.” Niall teased, letting out a soft yawn. The food in his stomach was slowly settling and he could feel the sleepiness kick in despite it still being quite early. “But, if you don’t want to watch this one we don’t have to,” Niall said, pausing the movie before it started. He relaxed a little bit when Zayn pressed play again, leaning back against his pillow. 

Niall didn’t know when he started to get emotional, but he felt his eyes gloss over a bit. He was starting to get tired and his mind began drifting, thinking about his family back home. They always loved watching home alone near Christmas and indulge in movie marathons together. Although it was nice with Zayn, it wasn’t quite the same. He shifted a bit so Zayn wouldn’t notice, only for Zayn to shift back and pull the sheets over them even more. 

“You can rest your head on my shoulder if you want to, don’t worry I won’t bite” Zayn said softly, eyes still focused on the screen. Niall rolled his eyes, nodding his head quietly after he turned up the volume on the laptop. He carefully rested his head on his shoulder, letting out a soft sniffle. He couldn’t fight back the tired smile that crept onto his face when he felt Zayn rest his head on his. They stayed like that until the movie ended, and even though Niall knew his neck would hate him later on, it was more than okay right now.

Niall was still a bit sniffly by the time the movie ended, having shed one or two tears. He had naively thought he had gotten away with it, only finding out otherwise when Zayn spoke up. 

“Ya know it’s okay to be homesick hm? I won’t judge,” Zayn said softly, “I’m here if you want to talk about it, or even if you don’t.” He felt Zayn slowly lift his head to look down at him. “If you want to be alone, I can leave too. I don’t mind.” He added. 

Niall shifted closer, nodding his head as he listened to Zayn. “I know, I know. I just don’t know how you’re doing so well. I’m jealous.” Niall joked with a quiet chuckle, eyes briefly going over Zayn’s. 

“I mean- I do miss my family a lot,” Zayn said, shrugging. “It sucked last year- especially since I was stuck here with a few people that weren’t the best to be with. But you, you’re not that bad Horan.” Zayn smiled, knocking their shoulders together. Niall rolled his eyes, murmuring a shy ‘you too’ back. 

“How about we make it more Christmas-y,” Zayn offered. “We can do- like that one song. Eight? Nine days of Christmas? Where they do one thing every single day.” 

Niall was confused at first, not knowing what song Zayn was talking about until he began to hum the melody. “You know? That one?”

He couldn’t help but smile in amusement. “It’s the twelve days of Christmas yeah- s’about getting a different present every single day from your partner,” He said, eyes still fixated on Zayn, who looked more than focused on what he assumed to be finding the song on Spotify. “I’m pretty sure the twelve days start _on_ Christmas though,” Niall stated, rolling his eyes when Zayn simply ignored him. “And it’s the twenty-first already so doing it before doesn’t make much sense.” He tried poking at Zayn’s arm this time to catch his attention, but alas he was still ignored. 

As the festive music began to play though, the raven-haired lad glanced over to Niall, sporting an excited grin. 

“So? We’ll make it our own. How long have we been spending time together?” He asked, not even letting Niall answer. “We’ll make it the _five days till Christmas_ ,” He sing-songed excitedly, and Niall could tell he wouldn’t be taking no for an answer.


	4. December 22nd

_On the third day till Christmas my true ~~love~~ friend gave to me... _

_pasta & booze, _

_a hangover & movies, _

_**burgers & ice skates**, _

“No way, sick” Niall yawned out, leaning his arm on Zayn’s shoulder as he looked at the website he had opened. The night before they had squeezed in another two movies after Home Alone 2, so they tried their best to sleep in as much as they could. And was it really the holidays if they couldn’t wake up at 12 in the afternoon? 

“Wow, you sound enthusiastic,” Zayn said with a light tease on his tone.

“Piss off,” Niall chuckled, shoving his shoulder gently. 

Niall had woken up earlier than Zayn that day, laying down and sleepily staring at the ceiling. He was drifting in and out of sleep when he had heard Zayn get up to take a phone call. He hadn’t even realised he had fallen back asleep until Zayn had woken him up with a gentle shake. 

Niall took another sip of his tea as Zayn continued to scroll through the website, _“Ice skating!”_ he had suggested to Niall, who had been heating up the kettle still half-awake. 

“Yeah, I figured we could go out, get some food somewhere. A small and cheap place preferably and then we can go ice skating.” Zayn suggested, taking a sip of his own cup. 

“I’m more than down,” Niall grinned, holding his cup properly in his hands to warm himself up. 

The rink was in the center of the park, the walk there helping them digest the burgers and fries they had basically devoured. “I’ve been eating way too much shit lately,” Niall chuckled, eyes going over the different Christmas decorations that adorned the public space. 

“Hey- the holidays are the perfect time to eat like shit. When else are you gonna stuff your face guilt-free?” Zayn replied. Niall simply rolled his eyes, agreeing with Zayn because well- holidays were in fact the perfect time to stuff your face.

“We should come here at night- it would be really nice to see all of this lit up,” He suggested, rubbing his hands together as he glanced back at Zayn. 

He couldn’t help but smile when he saw Zayn pointing at the Christmas tree that stood tall above them. Niall couldn’t help but coo at the sight, brushing his fingers over some of the ornaments as they walked by. 

“I think that’s what I miss the most- a Christmas tree,” He commented. 

“Horan, I hope you’re not asking for one. I’m no miracle worker.” Zayn responded, making him laugh. 

“Ah shit, really?” Niall pouted, letting out an exaggerated sigh. “Guess Christmas is really ruined.” He said. His facade didn’t last long though, instantly smiling when he heard the faint Christmas jingles. “We’re near,” He said, grabbing Zayn by the hand to hurry him up. He could faintly feel Zayn tense under his touch but he didn’t pay much mind to it, simply picking up their pace, only stopping when they were met with the ice rink. Soon they were lining up, Niall hugging himself as he softly hummed along to the melodies of the songs. 

“We probably should have had something lighter,” Niall said once they both grabbed their ice skates. He let out a heavy sigh as he thought about how full he still was. 

“Yeah- I feel like I’m carrying double my weight now,” Zayn laughed, to which Niall agreed. 

He looked around the rink, noticing the fairy lights that adorned the railings. He followed Zayn to where the benches were. They easily changed into their skates, tucking their shoes underneath the bench. He carefully pushed himself up, looking over at Zayn. “Do ya need help?” He offered, taking Zayn’s hands to pull him up. 

“Careful,” He said when he noticed Zayn wobble as they walked towards the entrance of the rink. Niall stepped in first, holding onto the railing as he easily moved to the side. 

“Uh- Niall, I have a confession to make,” Zayn stated, and Niall hadn’t noticed how nervous Zayn looked until then.

“What is it?” He asked, moving his feet to feel out the glide on the ice. He wasn’t too bad at skating, but he knew he was still a bit rusty. It was definitely going to be interesting. 

“I- I don’t know how to ice skate.” Niall stared at Zayn for a short moment, brows furrowed, 

“Wait- you what?” He asked, and he could see the shame on Zayn’s face as he spoke up again. 

“I don’t know how to ice skate.” He repeated, and Niall couldn’t help but let out a hearty laugh. He tried to stifle his laughter when he noticed Zayn pouting at him. “Don’t make fun of me.”

“No- no. It’s not that.” He reassured shaking his head, smiling wide still. “I just don’t understand why you would offer to ice skate if you didn’t know how to- or why you didn’t tell me earlier. We really didn’t have to come.” Niall said. He noticed Zayn look even more embarrassed, so feeling a little bit guilty he offered his hands out.

“Come on, I’ll teach you,” he said, looking at him expectantly. He smiled when Zayn wobbled closer, murmuring something that he couldn’t quite catch. He watched Zayn hold onto the railing, so he moved back a bit, letting the lad set one foot on the ice. 

“Careful,” He said, holding Zayn’s side when he had almost slipped. He could tell Zayn was focused, brows furrowed into a knot at the center of his forehead. 

“This is- scarier than I thought.” He heard Zayn say. 

“Come on, it isn’t that bad. I’ve got you yeah? Promise.” He smiled, soon cheering and clapping his hands when Zayn was standing on the ice, clinging onto the railing. 

“Stop Niall, people are staring,” Zayn said although he was sporting a soft smile on his lips, and his cheeks had gone a bit red as well. 

“Fine, but you’re boring.” He said laughing.

Soon the two of them were slowly making their way around the rink. Niall tried his best to be patient, letting Zayn hold onto the railing as much as he needed to. After almost twenty minutes though, it was clear that the Irish lad had had enough. 

“Come on, we’re going to the center,” Niall said, turning on his skates to face Zayn. 

“No- we’re not doing that. I am actually going to die out there.” Zayn said, looking around the rink in fear. 

Niall laughed, “Come on, I’ll hold you the whole way okay? All you have to do is keep your feet steady and parallel to each other.” Niall said softly.

“Unless you want the plastic penguins- which no judgment,” Niall said simply, nodding towards the plastic fake penguins that several kids were holding onto to help them skate. He watched Zayn temporarily contemplate, looking over the others in the rink. 

“Okay- so that’s a no. I’m a grown adult. I have some dignity” Zayn said, despite the scared look he was still sporting. Niall simply offered his hands out again, not saying much else. “Alright, alright. But don’t let go, okay?” Zayn murmured. 

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” He promised, soon holding Zayn’s hand. He let Zayn mentally prepare himself before coaxing for him to hold his other hand and fully let go of the railing,

Soon the two of them were slowly moving towards the center. Niall mainly guided Zayn as he skated backward to be able to hold Zayn and keep him steady. He was grateful that he had taught a few of his younger cousins to ice skate, teaching Zayn wasn’t all too complicated. 

“See? You’re doing amazing,” Niall said with a smile, slowly loosening his grip on Zayn’s hand. 

“No- Niall’ don’t you dare. You promised.” Zayn said, only tightening his grip back. Niall laughed softly and rolled his eyes.

“Right, right, sorry.” He said softly, giving both his hands a squeeze of reassurance.

After a few more tries, Niall managed to let go of one of Zayn’s hands. “See, now this is nice,” Niall said softly as the pair slowly skated around the rink, this time side by side. They steered away from the center though, mainly to quell Zayn’s nerves but it was nice regardless. 

“Yeah, yeah, it isn’t too bad.” Zayn agreed, still holding tightly onto Niall’s hand. It was endearing to watch him focus on his feet, trying his best to follow the instructions Niall had given him. “Who knows, maybe next year I’ll be a pro,” Zayn stated, making Niall laugh. 

“We have a lot of time ‘till then. I’m sure you’ll be able to achieve it.” Niall said, shaking his head fondly. Niall could tell Zayn was growing more confident on the ice. He was about to offer to let go of his hand when their session was called to an end. Soon they were heading off the rink and back to the benches, the both of them realising how tired they had gotten. 

Niall tried his best to hide his fondness by biting his bottom lip as he watched a bummed out Zayn take off his skates. 

“What?” Zayn asked, clearly noticing Niall’s expression. 

“S’ just cute- you didn’t want to get in the rink before and I basically had to drag you out.” He pointed out. 

“I feel like they kicked us out when I finally got the hang of it,” he grumbled. 

“It’s okay though, we can always come again hm?” Niall offered. He watched Zayn get up, making him hurry up in tying his own laces. As he finished up he noticed Zayn stand in front of him, this time offering his hands out. He easily took them, letting out a small huff as Zayn pulled him up. 

“Sounds like a deal then.” Zayn smiled, soon turning to walk out of the changing area with Niall. 

Niall didn’t even notice how they held hands all the way back to the dorm until he had to let go to grab his keys.


	5. December 23rd

_On the second day till Christmas, my true ~~love~~ friend gave to me... _

_pasta & booze, _

_a hangover & movies, _

_burgers & ice skates, _

_**cookies & snow angels**,_

Niall woke up half hanging off the bed. After they had gotten home the previous evening, the two were so worn out from all the skating they simply decided to binge some more movies and eat some instant ramen that Niall had found in the back of one of his cupboards. 

Niall tiredly rubbed his eyes, letting out a soft yawn as he checked the time on his phone. He had no idea what they had planned for today. Zayn had simply checked if Niall had a microwave and mentioned a trip that they would have to take to the center to buy some ingredients. He hoped the pair would be able to split up for a bit. Although they hadn’t really talked about it, Niall wanted to get Zayn a present for Christmas (regardless of him getting one or not). He had no clue what he would be able to get Zayn though, he just knew that he had to get him something. Especially considering the effort the raven-haired lad had put into the whole Christmas countdown that still had Niall slightly in awe. 

This time, Niall was able to wake Zayn up at almost noon, with two plates stacked with some french toast and strawberries along with a cup of coffee for him. The two of them sat cross-legged on the ground, with some music playing from the laptop. 

“So, the plan today is going to the center to buy some ingredients?” Niall asked softly as he cut his toast with his fork. He looked up to see Zayn nodding whilst taking a bite of the toast. 

“Mhm,” he answered, taking a moment to chew and swallow. “I want to bake,” Zayn said, making Niall furrow his brows. He didn’t quite understand what Zayn wanted to bake, especially since they didn’t have an oven. 

“Well- not necessarily bake- but I think we could make those cookies in a mug thing? Gingerbread cookies- well gingerbread cookies in a mug. That’s my idea. What do you think?”

Niall watched Zayn, who was still starting his second piece of toast. “It sounds like it’s bound to fail honestly” Niall joked, laughing when Zayn flipped him off. “I am more than down to try it out,” Niall said, reaching to poke Zayn’s cheek. The pair had been a lot more comfortable around each other after their walk back the day before. They didn’t mention it but it was clear that there was a shift between them. Not only the atmosphere whenever they teased each other had changed, but even the simple touches they shared were beginning to linger more than before. 

“Have some faith in me, I’m sure we’ll find a way,” Zayn said, this time taking a sip of his coffee. 

“I was thinking- maybe we could split for a bit whilst we’re at the center?” Niall offered, running his fingers through his hair to fix the ends that had flattened out. “I have a few things to get- like bleach and dye for my hair- and a few other things. Think we can cover more space if we split.” Niall stated, looking over to Zayn. 

He didn’t expect Zayn to reach out and begin to fix his hair for him. “I mean- I don’t think you’d need the bleach- it’ll be cool to see you with your brown hair all grown out. It’d be sick” Zayn said softly, and Niall was grateful that Zayn was so focused on his hair because he could feel all the heat rushing to his face. “But I’m down to split up so we can cover more space quickly,” he added, once he pulled away. 

“Okay, okay. Perfect.” Niall said softly, looking over Zayn. 

“Think about the bleach though, yeah? I mean, you look amazing both ways. Just do whatever you’re more comfortable with.” Zayn said, making Niall hide his smile by looking down at his plate. 

Once they had finished eating, Zayn headed off to his room to get himself showered and changed before heading out to the center. Niall let out a breath of relief as he shut the door once Zayn had headed out.

His mind had been buzzing from the day before, confused about the pair’s dynamics. He couldn’t tell if Zayn was just being friendly- maybe he was simply reading too much into it? 

He took a quick shower and decided to call Harry once he was done, hoping that the lad wasn’t too busy. 

“Hey, H. How are you?” Niall asked, running his fingers through his hair as he looked through the different clothes he had to choose from. 

“Hey Ni,” Harry said, dragging out the ‘hey’ as much as he could. “I’m okay, just finished helping mum prep some stuff for tomorrow. How are you?” Harry asked. Niall was about to answer when he saw the facetime request come in. He grumbled a bit, accepting the request but letting the phone face the ceiling since he was changing. 

“That’s rude,” Harry commented, making Niall snort. 

“I mean- if you want me to flash you,” Niall suggested, moving the phone and propping it against the pillow once he had boxers on. “I’m alright- Zayn and I have been hanging out quite a lot- well- we’ve been attached to each other’s hip actually,” Niall murmured, pulling his jeans over his legs. 

“Oh? Really?” Harry asked, dropping a compliment on the pants Niall had slipped on since Harry had been the one to help him pick them out at the store months prior. 

“Yeah- yeah. You told me he likes his alone time and stuff- but he’s been- sticking around?” Niall murmured, grabbing one of his sweaters to throw over himself. 

“That’s cool then! He likes you,” Harry smiled. “Maybe he’s just lonely too- ‘S not like the holidays are the best time to be alone,” Harry said with a shrug. 

Niall nodded. “Yeah, yeah… You’re right,” Niall murmured, 

There was a short pause of silence, and Niall could tell Harry was moving his phone closer to him, seeing a much more close up view of Harry’s face through the screen. “Unless you have something to tell me?” Harry asked. Following a beat of silence, Harry gasped. “You do have something to tell me! Spill,” Harry said. 

Niall rolled his eyes, taking a hold of his phone before sitting on the edge of the bed. He looked at his own feed, fixing his hair in the process. “I mean- ‘s not anything important you know. I think I’m reading too much into it.” Niall murmured. When Harry called bullshit Niall grumbled, before reluctantly telling him about what had happened the day before. 

“Wait- you’re telling me he’s trying to give you Christmas? Like the experience?” Harry asked, looking at the screen intensely, scaring Niall just a bit. 

“Kind of I guess? He has plans for every day- supposedly. It’s really sweet. We went ice skating yesterday and we held hands there- but- it's like whatever you know? I was helping him ice skate.” Niall mumbled, and he could feel himself begin to get worked up. “But then- we held hands the whole way home H- I was going to pull my hand away but he stopped me and we- just walked home like that,” Niall said, groaning when he realised his cheeks were tinting red. 

“You two held hands the whole way home? That’s cute,” Harry cooed, already swooning. Niall couldn’t even be surprised. Harry had made it clear that he was hopeless romantic from the day they had met, the two of them watching ‘Love Rosie’ their first night together and Niall having to hand him his tissue box several times. 

* * *

“Zayn, this does not look right,” Niall murmured as he continued to stir the mixture Zayn had made in one of the mugs. He looked over to Zayn who was hunched over the counter to read over the phone. The pair had gone shopping, and luckily Niall had been able to get Zayn a present, the item in question being safely tucked under his bed. They were currently attempting to make the gingerbread mug cookies, but something about them just didn't look quite right. 

“I mean- we followed the recipe to the T Niall, I’m sure you’re just being dramatic,” Zayn grumbled, reaching over to grab his own mug to begin to stir it. 

Niall rolled his eyes, coming close to look over Zayn’s phone with him. He slowly stopped stirring, reading over the ingredients carefully. 

“It says to use the egg yolk- like only the yellow part,” Niall said, looking at Zayn. He groaned when Zayn bumped his side with his to shoo Niall away to read over the recipe himself, clearly not believing Niall. 

“Well, fuck.” Zayn murmured before looking into his mug. He thought for a few seconds before speaking up. “Should we… redo it?” He asked, to which Niall shook his head. 

“No way- We only have like two eggs left, and that’s probably for tomorrow or something,” Niall said, letting out an amused chuckle as he smelled his mix. It wasn’t too bad. “I mean- we could pop it in the microwave and hope for the best?” Niall offered. 

Soon the pair were in front of the microwave, watching the two mugs slowly turn. 

“I mean- at least we have take-out to eat if it doesn’t work out.” Zayn said humming softly. “And alcohol.” He added. Niall couldn’t help but roll his eyes playfully. 

“Booze, gingerbread cookies and take-out, hm?” He said in amusement. 

“Hey, I’m trying.” Zayn said, knocking into his side. 

The mug cakes ended up happily resting on the bottom of their trash can, to never be tasted again. Niall had tried his best to get through at least half of it, but not only had they messed up the ingredients- they had apparently also overcooked it in the microwave leaving both a weird texture and taste that neither one of them could really get through.

Despite Niall downing a whole serving of chow mein, he could already feel the alcohol linger in his system. The pair had agreed on not drinking too much since the next day was Christmas eve, but they could both tell by their rosied cheeks and relaxed laughs that the alcohol had kicked in stronger than expected. 

They were about to settle down to watch a TV show that Zayn had been gushing about when Niall caught the weather forecast on his app. “Shit- it’s snowing?” Niall gasped, instantly sprinting to his feet. He rushed to the window and opened the curtain. His eyes widened when he noticed the snow coming down. “Oh my god- it’s been snowing for a while. The snow’s sticking!” Niall said excitedly, since some snow had collected already. 

Without giving it a second thought, Niall was slipping out of his pajamas, stripping down to his boxers. “Come on Zayn- we gotta go out. We gotta make snow angels.” Niall said excitedly, already grabbing his pants to put on. 

“Niall, it’s so cold.” Zayn said, but despite his complaints he was also getting up, changing into warmer clothing. 

“That’s why we’re going to layer.” Niall stated, grabbing his gloves as well as jacket. “And we’re gonna bring the drinks with us, to keep us warm of course.” Niall said as he went to grab two bottles. 

Once they were both ready to go, the pair shuffled out of the dorm as quickly as possible. Although Niall had aimed to go to the park, Zayn had pointed out that the pair were probably a bit too tipsy and it was probably safer to stay on campus. 

“Fine- but we’re going to the park tomorrow.” Niall said, as the two of them walked towards the plain plots of grass that they had on the center of the campus. The pair huddled close as they walked, seeking each other for some form of warmth. “Shhh. It sounds so good,” Niall said, pressing each step harder so they would hear the crunch of the snow. 

The campus was empty enough that the only people there were security, who often surveilled the main buildings and the entrance of the campus. Because of this, the only thing they could hear was the sounds coming from the streets outside, buzzling New York City truly being a place that never slept. 

“This- looks perfect.” Niall said as he laid down on the ground, soon beginning to move his arms and legs as he tried his best to create a snow angel. He heard Zayn let out a laugh. 

“You’re a child,” Zayn said, reluctantly joining Niall as well and laying down behind him. Niall stopped after a bit, looking over to Zayn who had gotten up to shake the snow off. He gave Zayn a wide smile when he caught him taking a picture, letting out a happy sigh as he looked up to watch the snow slowly fall down. Once he was pleased enough, he sat up to reach for his bottle, wanting it to warm him up a little bit.

“Drink, it’ll help.” Niall said when Zayn had complained about the cold. Niall was about to open up his bottle when he felt something cold and hard hit his back, making him gasp and almost drop his bottle. 

“Zayn,” Niall said, turning to face Zayn, before he could even react, another snowball was being thrown at him, this time hitting his chest. 

“Oops,” Zayn smirked, already preparing the next snowball. 

“Oh- it's on!” Niall said, setting the bottle to his side before getting up and running off as he clumped some snow in his own hands.

The two of them laughed, cursing at each other as they exchanged heavy forced snowballs. 

“I hate you! Don’t you dare!” Niall gasped, trying his best to make a run for it when Zayn began to approach him and pull at the back of his jacket. 

Soon he could feel the cold slide of ice down his back. “You dick!” Niall gasped, squirming at how cold it was. He thought fast on how to take revenge, tackling Zayn and making the lad land on his back with him on top of him. He straddled his waist to keep him in place, trying his best to not think much about how Zayn reached to grip his thighs to hold him there. 

“I’m cold now, you suck” Niall whined, looking down at Zayn who was panting with a more than smug smile on his lips. Niall rubbed his hands against the snow before cupping Zayn’s cheeks and rubbing his hands over his face, smirking when Zayn hissed. 

“You fucker,” Zayn said, moving his face away. Niall could feel the grip on his thighs tighten, but before he could pull away Zayn was flipping them over, soon pinning Niall down by the wrists instead. 

“Gotcha,” Zayn panted out. Niall squirmed a bit under his grip, panting softly as well as he looked up at Zayn. 

“S’not fair, my back is freezing,” Nial murmured.

The cold on his back only emphasized the warmth of Zayn’s hands and for a brief second, Niall wondered if they could stay in this moment forever. Zayn hovering above him with his hair sticking to his forehead from the snowflakes that were melting on his hair. Niall was so entranced with the sight that he didn’t realise how close Zayn was until he could faintly feel his breath on his face. 

He looked over Zayn’s eyes, quickly noticing how the lad was eyeing his lips. He let out a shaky breath, giving Zayn a small nod when their eyes met again. 

Niall had never hated his body as much as he did at that moment when it decided to _sneeze_. 

“Okay, come on. We don’t want you getting sick.” Zayn said, looking away from Niall as he slowly got up and let go of his wrists. 

Niall sniffed a bit, nodding as he wiped his nose. He was too flustered and dazed to deny Zayn. He soon took his hand, thanking him for helping him up. He couldn’t help but ponder at the missed opportunity though, still clinging onto the memory of Zayn’s face only mere inches away from his. 

They fished for the bottles through the layers of snow, wanting to take the remains home. He was grateful to have found his quite quickly, taking the long-overdue sip as he watched Zayn take one as well.

He felt Zayn wrap his arm around his shoulder this time, holding him close. “Come on, don’t be pouty,” Zayn said, only making Niall’s face heat up even more.

“I am not pouting.” He said although he couldn’t help but stomp a bit as they walked back, gaining a bit of satisfaction from hearing the snow crunch. He couldn’t help but let out another sigh when he sneezed once more. 

“Sure, whatever you say,” Zayn said, but Niall could hear the smugness dripping off his voice as he was held even closer. 


	6. December 24th

_On the last day till Christmas, my true ~~love~~ friend gave to me... _

_pasta & booze, _

_a hangover & movies, _

_burgers & ice skates, _

_cookies & snow angels,_

**_a fever, (_____)_**

“I am so sorry,” Niall heard Zayn sigh out. The lad rolled his eyes, shifting to face Zayn, and look over his face. He let out another soft sniffle as Zayn pressed his hand against his forehead. 

“You definitely have a fever,” Zayn pointed out, this time pushing Niall’s hair off his forehead.

“‘S not your fault,” Niall murmured, sneezing into the crook of his arm. “It was my idea to go out,” Niall said, although he knew what Zayn meant. By the time they had gotten back to the dorms, Niall’s back was dripping wet and the lad couldn’t stop shivering. He had hoped that the warm shower would help him but it didn’t turn out as effective as he hoped it would be. 

“Did I ruin our plans for today?” Niall murmured, looking at Zayn tiredly. He didn’t know what Zayn had planned exactly, but he knew they were supposed to leave the dorms to go somewhere. 

“No, no. Don’t worry about that, alright?” Zayn said. Niall was about to complain about the cold when he felt Zayn lift his blanket but he was met with a surprise when Zayn simply slid into bed with him. Niall tensed a bit, suddenly aware of every part of his body. He didn’t argue though when Zayn wrapped his arms around him and pulled him against his chest. 

Niall hesitantly nuzzled his face into Zayn’s chest, letting out a tired sigh in the process. He tucked his head under Zayn’s chin, shutting his eyes as he began to relax. 

“Sleep a bit more, yeah? You need the rest.” Niall heard Zayn murmur, feeling his hand rubbing at his waist in soothing motions.

“But it’s Christmas Eve, we should be doing something fun,” Niall murmured, letting out a soft sigh. 

“We’ll do something fun when you wake up, okay?” Zayn said, beginning to rub the back of Niall’s neck. Niall simply relaxed, letting out a tired grumble as a way to let Zayn know what he would get some more rest. 

Niall got woken up a few hours after he had drifted off to sleep. He couldn’t help but frown when the warmth next to him was gone, the confusion only increasing when he saw that Zayn was nowhere in the room. He didn’t have time to pay much mind to it though since he could hear the constant buzzing of his phone coming from somewhere, he was pretty sure somebody was calling. 

He managed to squeeze in a call with Maura, wanting to update her about everything and reassure him that he was doing more than okay. He had gotten a bit of a lecture when the woman had caught an ear of his stuffy nose and hoarse voice. Regardless of that though, she was more than happy to know that her son was alright and wasn’t spending the holidays cooped up by himself. 

Niall was about to text Zayn to ask where the lad was when he could hear the faint sound of the door being unlocked. He slowly sat up on the bed, rubbing his eyes tiredly as he waited for Zayn to come in. 

“Hey- shit- I honestly thought you’d sleep in until I came back,” Zayn said, shuffling in with a few bags. Niall looked at the bags questioningly, getting up off the bed to help Zayn. 

“Honestly- I probably was going to, but my ma’s call woke me up,” he said, offering to take some of the bags. He peeked into one of the ones that he was handed, letting out a groan of satisfaction when he saw that it was food. 

Zayn chuckled, clearly amused by Niall’s reaction. “Yeah, looks good hm? I found a nice small restaurant that’s open. The lady was the sweetest, said that they continue running ‘till these hours on Christmas eve in case someone wants a warm dinner if they’re spending it alone. There were a few people gathered there to just eat together” Zayn said. 

“That’s too sweet,” Niall said, watching Zayn take one of the bags and put it away by his, well Harry’s bed. 

Niall made Zayn and himself some tea as Zayn set out all the food on the floor, having carefully cleared out the space to allow him to fit everything. 

Once they were all ready, Niall sat by Zayn, handing him the mug as he warned him about how hot it was. 

“Christ, this looks amazing,” Niall said, watching Zayn carefully serve both of their plates. He knew Zayn had gone all out when buying the food, eyeing all the different options that the lad had brought with him. “Thank you,” Niall said, accepting the plate from Zayn. He waited for Zayn to take a hold of his own plate as well. They both took their first bites together, Niall letting out a close to sinful sound when he realized how heavenly the food tasted. 

They tried their best to finish the food, but they only made half of it. The remaining half was stuffed inside the mini-fridge, truly testing the limits of its size. 

“What do you want to do now?” Zayn asked once he was able to shut the fridge. Niall gave him a shrug, rubbing over his stomach in thought. “More movies?” He suggested. “Or we could always play cards.”

They had gotten through three rounds of card games before Zayn had thrown a fit, throwing accusations towards Niall and questioning his card skills by accusing him of cheating. As a result, they ended up cuddled up once more with each other, watching what felt like their hundredth movie. 

Niall had been so entranced by the scene that he didn’t notice Zayn reaching over to pause the movie. He lifted his head off Zayn’s shoulder, figuring Zayn had to go get something. 

“Merry Christmas Ni,” Zayn had said instead. Niall smiled, looking over to look at the time, and it was in fact already midnight. 

“Merry Christmas to you too Zee,” Niall said softly, reaching over to give him a hug. “Thank you so much for spending it with me,” Niall murmured, nuzzling his face into his neck. "These five days were great." 

“Thank you for spending it with me too,” Zayn murmured back, rubbing over Niall’s waist. “By the way, I have a present for you. Can I give it to you already?” Zayn asked, pulling away. 

Niall looked at Zayn, although he wasn’t too surprised he still hadn’t expected Zayn to get him anything. 

“I have one for you too actually. We usually open them on Christmas morning but we can do it now, it’s Christmas already.” Niall nodded, getting up. 

The pair moved to sit face to face with each other, Niall holding onto his small package. He was a bit nervous, not exactly knowing if Zayn would like what he had gotten him. Zayn on the other hand was holding a slightly larger box, also looking a bit sheepish himself. Both of them exchanged packages with each other, Niall carefully taking his present. The soft Christmas music played in the background as the pair slowly and meticulously undid the wrapping. 

“Wait- one of us should open it first,” Niall stated, stopping Zayn. “I want us to see each other’s reactions.” He stated. 

“Alright, alright. You go first.” Zayn said, setting his own present down. Niall gave Zayn a small nod, finishing taking the tape off. Soon he was stripping the wrapping off, gaining sight of the box underneath. He couldn’t help but light up when he realised it was a Christmas mug with an ‘N’ on it. 

“Zayn, this is sick!” Niall smiled, looking up at Zayn. “Thank you,” he said softly, as he took the mug out of the box to look over it carefully.

“The Christmas lights will gain color when you put something hot inside- like tea or coffee.” He heard Zayn say, to which he lit up even more. “And um- I actually got one for me too. So we can match.” 

Niall looked up at Zayn, smiling so widely that his cheeks were probably about to break. He set the mug down to the side before he leaned to wrap his arms around Zayn and give him the tightest hug possible. 

“You’re the sweetest. I love it.” He said, pulling away to properly look over him. He could see the relief settle on the older lad’s face making him laugh softly, 

“Thank god you actually like it, I was scared you’d think it’s dumb.” Zayn chuckled sheepishly, to which Niall rolled his eyes at.

“It’s your turn now,” Niall said a bit nervously this time, sitting back as he hugged his legs. He watched Zayn take a deep breath before nodding soon undoing the wrapping on his box. 

Niall had snuck into one of the jewelry stores near the center when the pair had split and had found the perfect gift. He knew Zayn loved wearing bracelets and he had found a simple silver chain bracelet with a snowflake attached to it. 

“I wanted to get you something Christmas related. I didn't want to get anything too eye-catching thought so you can wear it all year- and it looked really nice,” Niall said sheepishly when Zayn simply stared at the bracelet, looking over it. Zayn's silence was driving him mad.

“Niall, this is really nice.” Zayn said, finally looking up and letting their eyes meet. 

“Yeah? I can put it on you if you’d like.” Niall said softly, soon taking the bracelet from the box. He shuffled closer, their knees knocking together as he carefully pulled Zayn’s arm out. He slowly undid the chain before looping it around Zayn’s wrist, studying his tattoos in the process. He attached the two ends together before carefully dropping the chain down to rest on his wrist. 

“You like it then yeah?” Niall smiled, looking up at Zayn. He willed himself not to pull away when Zayn looked at him as well, their faces closer than ever before. 

Niall felt Zayn’s hand slowly reach and cup over his cheek, thumb gently rubbing over his cheekbone. “I really really like it,” Zayn promised before pausing for a short moment, clearly careful with what he was about to say.

“Can I?” He finally asked, eyes dropping to his lips. 

Niall’s breath hitched for a short moment before he was mumbling a soft _please,_ letting his eyes drift shut as they both finally leaned in. 

… And maybe Niall still missed the idea of being home, curled up under his blankets with a warm cup of his mother’s eggnog in his hands. But being there with Zayn, cheeks aching from all the smiling, and lips tender from all the soft kisses, he really did feel like he was having a merry Christmas after all. 

* * *

_and on the day of Christmas, my true love_ _gave to me..._

 _pasta & booze, _ _a hangover & movies, _

_burgers & ice skates, _ _cookies & snow angels,_

 _a fever_ **(and a kiss)** x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for making it to the end!! i hope you enjoyed reading the fic as much as i enjoyed writing it !! please feel free to leave kudos and a comment with what you think (i always love reading them).
> 
> and lastly, merry christmas guys, gals, and non-binary pals, and have an amazing new years!! xx


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